| Marker Number |
4796 |
| Atlas Number |
5061004796 |
| Marker Title |
Site of Fort Polk |
| Index Entry |
Fort Polk, Site of |
| Address |
421 E. Queen Isabella Blvd. |
| City |
Port Isabel |
| County |
Cameron |
| UTM Zone |
14 |
| UTM Easting |
679274 |
| UTM Northing |
2385502 |
| Subject Codes |
communities; Mexican American topics; military topics; U.S.-Mexico War; forts |
| Marker Year |
1995 |
| Recorded Texas Historic Landmark |
No |
| Marker Location |
Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site, NE corner E. Queen Isabella Blvd. and N. Tarnava St. |
| Private Property |
No |
| Marker Condition |
In Situ |
| Marker Size |
18" x 28" |
| Marker Text |
A mexican village developed on this point, settled by mexican ranchers in the 1700's. The village was abandoned prior to the U.S. Declaration of war with Mexico in 1846. U.S. forces led by general Zachary Taylor occupied the point on March 24, 1846. Taylor erected a depot here to receive supplies from New Orleans. The six-sided fort, named for President Polk, consisted of 4 sides of earthen embankments and 2 sides open to the shoreline. The fort was abandoned in 1850 but the settlement it attracted eventually developed into Port Isabel. Remnants of the fort were visible until the 1920s. (1995) |
